Lightning Strike
by Pluv143000
Summary: Illyria Prewett has had an affinity for magical creatures for as long as she can remember. She has a compassion that is confusing to most of her Slytherin peers-such as Draco Malfoy. Draco doesn't quite understand her fascination with the beasts, but the explanation is quite simple. Because unlike people, they are incapable of evil and hate. Eventual Draco/OC - Slow Updates
1. nulla - casualty of war

**"more than just a casualty of this senseless war"**

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A knock at the front door of the Burrow echoed through the Weasley's home. However, everyone inside remained undisturbed, all except Molly Weasley. Molly would have preferred to be soundly asleep, but being the mother of a newborn daughter and a son who was only a year old did not allow for such luxury.

Thankfully, she was awake though, or else she may have missed the sound. Putting an infant Ginny back into her bassinet, Molly went to wake her husband to go check the front door with her.

With Arthur at her side, the Weasley matriarch started down the several staircases until she reached the ground floor. Hurrying to the door, she opened it only to see Kingsley Shacklebolt on the other side.

Kingsley was a colleague of Arthur's at the Ministry of Magic and a key member of the Order of the Phoenix, an alliance dedicated to stopping You-Know-Who and his death eaters. While Molly and Arthur were not directly involved with the order, they were staunch supporters. The Weasley matriarch could not dedicate any more time due to being a full-time mother of young children and Arthur was busy trying to provide for his growing family.

However, Molly's brothers, Fabian and Giddeon, were out on the front lines of the Wizarding War that was taking place. They _were_. Not even a year ago, Molly got word that Giddeon had perished in a fight with some death eaters. While she had been devastated, Fabian took the news even worse. He had lost his other half, his twin. The emotional blow caused him to take a step back and focus more on the safety of his family—his wife Isobel and their two daughters, Catriona and Illyria.

When Molly saw the dark-skinned man at her door though, she could not help but be brought back to the night when she was informed of Gideon's fate. The forlorn expression on Shacklebolt's face did little to sway the dread that was already filling Molly's heart. That look spoke volumes on its own.

"Molly, Arthur," the tall man greeted solemnly. "I regret to inform you that there has been an attack. While attempting to locate the Potters, the death eaters tracked Fabian's location and attacked him and his family. Fabian and Isobel were found dead in their home along with Catriona."

Molly let out a loud sob as she covered her mouth to restrain herself. Thinking of her beloved younger brother and his darling wife along with their beautiful three-year-old daughter as dead was too much to bear. She hiccupped for a moment as she realized there was no mention of her other niece. "What of Illyria? Is she all right? Please tell me she is."

Arthur laid a comforting on his wife's shoulder as she looked up at Kingsley expectantly. "That's another reason why we are here," the ministry man stated, waving a hand forward.

A female auror that had been standing behind him stepped forward, a bundle of blankets wrapped in her arms. As she approached the Weasleys, Arthur noticed the small child wrapped in the blankets with a tuft of red hair on her head. "Molly," he started, catching his wife's attention and bringing it to the child.

"My goodness!" she exclaimed, reaching forward to cradle the child in her arms. As she brought the baby in closer, she began to sob once again. Illyria was the last reminder of her brother that Molly had now.

"She has nowhere else to go now and you are her next closest relatives. I know that Isobel was not close with her brother since she married Fabian, so you are all she has left." Kingsley did not have to say it. Molly knew what he was asking.

"Of course we will take her in," Molly said, glancing up at Arthur who nodded his head in agreement. There was no chance they were turning away her orphaned niece. They would have each other, without a doubt.

"Why don't you take her inside away from the chill, Molly dear?" Arthur suggested, watching the tears fall down her cheeks and land on the soft, blue blanket that incased their niece. "I'll finish speaking with Kingsley."

Molly nodded without another word and made her way back into the living room area, cradling Illyria close. The child was not even a year-and-a-half old and already she had lost so much. So much, but not everything.

Illyria would grow up with many things to be thankful for, despite what happened that night. She would grow up to be more than just a casualty of this senseless war.

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**Since we're all back to Hogwarts this past week, I decided to finally update this since I'm in the mood. Updates will probably be slow to start off and, yes, I am starting from Year One so don't expect Draco romance right off the bat. It will be a slow burn like everything else I do with other little romances scattered in-between. But, Draco is endgame!**

**Don't worry if you follow my other stories. I hope to get to the Avengers movie for my MCU stories by the end of the month and will be updating Atomic Blonde within the week. That's my goal at least...**

**I just moved into a new place and have been doing a lot of work on it. Work will also be a little chaotic for the remainder of the month before finally dying down some.**

**Another chapter to come soon after and then I don't know when the next chapter will be. But, I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!**


	2. unus - the last prewett

**"the wand chooses the wizard"**

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Diagon Alley was crowded with the hustle and bustle of magical parents and their children, preparing for the new school year at Hogwarts. The Weasleys, in particular, took up a good portion of the street as they moved from store to store. At the head of the pack was a young girl with long, orange-red hair that trailed to her lower back. Her hair bounced and fluttered as she pulled a boy with similar looks behind her. Both children had looks of excitement etched on their faces, though the young boy's smile faltered as he stumbled again trying to keep up with the girl dragging him along.

Their movements were halted as Arthur Weasley, the patriarch of the family, called out, "Illyria, darling, please wait up!" With the rambunctious eleven-year-olds now stopped in their tracks, the rest of the Weasleys were able to catch up. The twins, Fred and George, who were preparing to enter their third year at the wizarding school, caught up to the younger two first.

"You have to be careful there, Ria," George started.

"Wouldn't want to pull Ron's arm off, would you?" Fred finished with a laugh. Ron gave his older brothers an indignant look at the remark.

"She's not _that_ strong, you know," he complained, before glancing at his cousin who was shuffling impatiently at his side.

Like most children her own age, Illyria was practically bursting at the seams over the idea of finally going to Hogwarts. She shot her cousins an apologetic look, "I'm sorry Ron, really. I'm just so excited! Finally, we get to go to Hogwarts. Now, we don't have to live vicariously through Fred and George anymore! Aren't you excited?"

"Of course, I'm excited Lyrie. I mean now I don't have to listen to them," he gestured to the twins, "tease me about how I can't be trusted with a wand."

"That had nothing to do with you not being in Hogwarts yet," Fred quipped, making his younger brother glare at him. The twins shrugged.

"They've got a point," Illyria agreed with a teasing smile.

Finally, after making their way through the dense crowd, the rest of the Weasleys reached the small group, Molly and Arthur Weasley at the front and Percy sluggishly moving in the back with young Ginny in between still holding onto her mother's hand.

"Oh Ria, please don't run off like that, darling. I wouldn't want to lose you in all the people," Molly Weasley scolded gently.

"Sorry Aunt Molly," the young girl apologized sincerely. She knew her aunt and uncle were often overwhelmed with their own seven children. They took her in as a baby, adding an eighth child to the mix right after Molly had given birth to Ginny, but Arthur and Molly had not hesitated. Illyria was the only member of Molly's side of the family still alive, having been orphaned after her brother Fabian and his wife Isobel were killed in the war against Voldemort.

Illyria's similarities to the Weasleys were blatant. If one did not know the story of her parents' deaths and her adoption, they would believe she was Ron's twin. Her coloring matched that of the other Weasleys and of her father. She had very little in common, looks-wise, with her mother, at least as far as she could tell.

Isobel Prewett had been a beautiful woman. It had not been surprising when Fabian fell for her. She had golden tresses and hazel eyes that shined in the sunlight giving her an ethereal look. Her petite stature contradicted with her strong personality. That is where Illyria's similarities with her mother shined through. Both were opinionated, unwavering in their beliefs, and compassionate to all who surrounded them. With that compassion, it was because of those qualities that Isobel had been sorted into Gryffindor at Hogwarts, unlike her family before her. That was the moment the blonde had begun to distance herself from her family. The family turmoil caused turbulence in their relationship, but nothing deterred them and they lived happily until each met their untimely end, leaving a young daughter behind.

Illyria loved her aunt, uncle, and cousins. They were the only family she had ever known, but part of her wondered if being at Hogwarts would make her feel more connected to the parents she never knew. That was one of the reasons she was so excited to start school.

Molly and Arthur, after seeing how excited Illyria and Ron were, decided to split up. The twins and Percy had most of their things and Ginny was whining about being hungry. Molly took the older boys and her daughter to finish getting the last few things they needed and then they were going to head home. Arthur decided to help the two eleven-year-olds get what they still needed before meeting back at the Burrow.

A majority of the shopping had been completed. Ron still needed a few items and Illyria wanted an owl of her own. Then, they would both need their wands. Arthur, trusting his niece more than his son who seemed to always find trouble, dropped her off at Eeylop's Owl Emporium to look around at the owls while he took Ron to the last few shops.

Despite the family already having an owl, Errol, the family owl, Illyria wanted one of her own. She always loved animals and wanted to bring one with her to Hogwarts since Ron was bringing Scabbers. Money was no issue for her either. Her parents had a decent savings that was left to her when they passed. It made it easier for the Weasleys since they did not have an abundance of money to use toward her school expenses.

She browsed the owls, walking up and down the aisles. Turning the corner, lost in her thoughts as she examined the creatures in the cages, she bumped into someone. Shaken from her thoughts, she saw the boy she had bumped into. He had slicked-back hair so blonde it was almost white and when he turned towards her, she took in his stormy grey eyes. Quickly, as if it was a reflex, his impassive face twisted into a sneer.

"Watch where you're going would you," he bit out at Illyria.

Shocked by his immediate hostility, the redhead did not know quite what to say. "O-Oh, I'm so sorry. I must not have been paying much attention."

"Obviously," the boy muttered, the sneer softening a little. Illyria's eyes narrowed slightly at the remark. She did apologize and it was an accident. She saw no reason for the prolonged attitude. "Say, are you picking an owl out to take to Hogwarts?"

"Uh, yes I am. It's my first year," she responded kindly, trying to put their initial meeting behind them in an attempt to keep the conversation pleasant.

"Mine too. I've met quite a few first years today. So, do you know what kind of owl you're getting? I've picked out this one," he said gesturing to the brown, speckled owl. "He's a Eurasian Eagle Owl, small now but he'll be the biggest owl at Hogwarts when he's done growing. Speaking of which, do you know what house you're going to be sorted into?"

Illyria shrugged. "I don't think anyone truly _knows_ what house they'll be in," she started causing the blond boy to shrug slightly in agreement. "But, my mother and my father's family were all Gryffindors; however, my mother's family were all Slytherins."

He looked shocked when she said that. The houses were famous rivals at Hogwarts. It was not very often that the two mixed. He brushed it off though, "I'm sure I'll be in Slytherin. My whole family has been, on both my mother's and my father's side."

The two stood in comfortable silence when the bell over the door rang. The ringing sound set off all the owls as they began screeching.

"Draco," she heard a man's voice call out.

"Back here," the blond boy answered. Footsteps could be heard making their way to where the two soon-to-be first-years stood. A few seconds passed before a tall man with the same white-blond hair as Draco turned the corner. It was not hard to deduce that the man was Draco's father. The man was rather severe-looking with a sharp, angular face. While they shared the same hair color, Draco's father's hair extended almost as long as Illyria's.

"Ah, there you are. And who is this?" He looked down his nose at the young girl his son had been speaking with. Draco went to answer but stopped when he realized they had not exchanged names.

Illyria stepped in, though, to introduce herself, "Illyria Prewett, sir."

The older man's eyes sparkled with recognition. "Arthur Weasley's niece, correct? Daughter of Isobel Greengrass and Fabian Prewett." Illyria found it odd that someone knew this information about her just from her name. She nodded politely regardless of her confusion.

Draco's father must have noticed the new apprehension towards the conversation, "Forgive me, I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Lucius Malfoy and you have met Draco here. I work at the Ministry with your uncle and I knew your mother when we went to Hogwarts."

Her face lit up at the mention of her mother, "Really? I don't know much about my mother. Most of what I know is about her is from after school." Lucius took advantage of this information. He knew that the Greengrass family distanced themselves from Isobel considerably after she was engaged to Prewett. Isobel's parents saw her as a blood traitor after that with no hope of returning to the way she was raised; raised to believe purebloods were superior. Isobel's brother Victor, however, wished to stay in his family's good graces, despite the love he had towards his sister. Yes, Illyria was raised by blood traitors, the damn Weasleys, but she was still a pureblood and with the Greengrass' own daughter Daphne starting at Hogwarts, Lucius thought it was the perfect opportunity to bring Illyria back into the fold. The girl would surely take to meeting and bonding with her estranged family from her mother's side.

"Well," Lucius started, "I'm sure you'll learn plenty once you get to school. Your cousin Daphne is attending this year as well. I'll have to inform the Greengrasses that you're attending. I'm sure they'll be pleased." He then turned to his son who had been listening intently to the conversation, absorbing all the new information about the red-haired, blue-eyed girl he met in the owl emporium. "Well then, we must be going. Draco, grab your owl."

Draco picked up the cage for the owl he had picked out. The went to the counter and paid, setting a small handful of galleons on the wooden surface, before exiting. As they exited, the bell rang causing the owls to screech again.

Illyria found the whole conversation with the Malfoys interesting. Draco was the first person outside of her family that she knew was going to be at Hogwarts and he was even starting his first year like her. It was nice to think she may have a friend going in. Mr. Malfoy was also the first person, aside from her aunt and uncle, that knew her mother. Stories of her father, Fabian, and his twin brother, Gideon, were plentiful around the Burrow. Aunt Molly was their sister so she could tell me all about what they were like as kids, and even her cousins Bill and Charlie remembered him from before the war, how he would play with them. Apparently, they were a lot like Fred and George. Sometimes, she envied how others knew her own parents better than she did, and she would dwell on how unfair it was that she never got a life with them. But, then she remembered how lucky she was to have a loving, extended family like the Weasleys and it pulled her back from that dark place in her mind.

Around her, the owls continued to screech. Well, all but one. Lost in her thoughts, she almost did not catch the slight tugging on her fiery hair. She turned around to see a barn owl tugging at her hair with its beak. It had tawny-colored feathers on its back and pure, white feathers surrounding its pitch-black eyes that seemed to stare into the soul. When Illyria gave the owl a curious look, it dropped her hair and turned its head sideways as if to match the look she was giving it. A small smile broke out on her face.

She had come to the owl emporium to pick out an owl, and this owl was picking her instead. It was that moment when she knew she had to take this owl home. She plucked his cage off of the high table it was set on and carried it the front of the store where the Malfoys had just bought Draco's owl.

"Beautiful fellow, you got there," the old witch behind the counter stated, "He's always been rather mild-tempered, never spooking easily. He'll be eight galleons."

Illyria pulled the gold coins out of her pouch she had tucked in the pocket of her jumper. The old witch accepted the payment with a smile and Illyria went on her way. Glancing at the door, Illyria was careful to try and not disturb the bell now that the owls had just settled down. Sneaking out the door, she spotted Arthur and Ron leaving Flourish and Blotts and heading her way.

"Blimey, Ria, I thought for sure it would take you a day to pick one. That or you'd try to leave with all of them," Ron joked. She rolled her eyes playfully. "So, have you named 'im yet?"

"Not yet... I want to think of a good one," she said thoughtfully. "Anyway, let's hurry to Ollivander's. I don't think I can wait any longer." The group of three met back up with Molly, who offered to watch Illyria's new owl while Arthur took her and Ron to Ollivander's.

After their quick pit stop, the group entered Ollivander's wand shop. The bell to the shop rang as the group of three entered the shop, causing Mr. Ollivander to peek his head out and greet his customers.

"Welcome!" the man greeted, recognizing the Weasley patriarch. "Hello, Arthur. Who do we have this year?"

Arthur introduced his son and niece, "This is my youngest son, Ron, and my niece, Illyria." The young witch and wizard smiled at the older man behind the counter.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Illyria and Ron chimed out in unison.

"Well," Ollivander started, "Who shall I help first?"

After a little back and forth, Illyria insisted that Ron go first since she knew how excited he was to get his wand. It did not take very long to find the right match. Ollivander must have become very good at pairing wands to Weasleys over the years. In the end, Ron had his wand: a twelve-inch, ash wood wand with a unicorn tail-hair core.

When Illyria stepped up, Olivander got to work. "The last Prewett. I recall when your parents came in for their wands. Your father had an eleven-inch, dogwood wand with a unicorn tail-hair core. Your mother's wand was very rare, one of the only cherry wood wands I ever made. It was extremely powerful due to its dragon heartstring core. I wonder what yours will be."

Illyria smiled at the information about their parents. Sure, her Aunt Molly and Uncle Arthur told her plenty about her parents, all kinds of stories about what they got into together, but it was nice to hear what others had to say about them. Ollivander wandered into the back of the shop, sifting through the shelves before returning to the counter. Opening a slim, navy-colored box, he handed the wand over to the eleven-year-old girl.

"Spruce, eleven and three-quarter inches, unicorn tail-hair, and swishy flexibility," he explained. "Go ahead and give it a wave."

Illyria did as he said, giving the wand a gentle wave in her left hand. Suddenly, a large reddish pulse seemed to escape the wand, blowing a gust of wind through the store, rustling any loose papers and sending them into the air.

"No, no, not that one," Ollivander muttered, taking the wand from Illyria and returning it to its box. He pushed the box aside and reached for another; this one a deep golden color. "Perhaps this," the old man started, handing the wand over. "Apple, twelve inches, dragon heartstring, and reasonably pliant."

Illyria gingerly took the wand and gave it a wave, yet nothing happened. She looked back and Ron and Uncle Arthur nervously before waving the wand once more. Still nothing. She waved it a few more times and was almost ready to give it back to Ollivander since it obviously was not the one when golden sparks shot out from the tip like fireworks.

Ollivander wasted little time taking it from her grip, "Definitely not."

Illyria rubbed at the back of her neck, becoming more anxious the more attempts that were made. Ron had found his so quickly, but Illyria was having a much more difficult experience. Another failed attempt passed—acacia wood, thirteen-and-a-half inches with a phoenix feather core was also _not_ the one, causing the flames on the candles to rage wildly. She had thought for a moment to shop would catch fire.

She waited, not-so-patiently, as Ollivander perused the shelves for another option. "Ah-ha!" the man exclaimed, bringing a lilac-colored box forward and setting it on the counter. "I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. It should be a perfect fit."

Illyria hesitantly pulled the wand from the box as Ollivander explained its qualities, "English Oak, thirteen inches, phoenix feather core and surprisingly springy." She closed her eyes and hoped that this would not be another failure as she gave the wand a firm wave as if willing it to work. Warmth filled the shop, but it was not overwhelming like it had been when the candles lit up. A soft breeze rolled past everyone, billowing Illyria's ginger hair. The eleven-year-old could hear a humming noise in the background but was unsure if anyone else could hear it too.

She felt it. She knew before Ollivander said anything. "This is it," she spoke up, a smile gracing her features. She turned to her uncle who smiled back at her, happy that she had found the one.

Arthur helped the two finish paying for their wands as the rest of the Weasleys met up with them outside. Ron had run out almost immediately to show Fred and George his wand, while Illyria remained inside, still examining her own.

"Mr. Ollivander," Illyria started, turning the man's attention to her as her uncle handed him the coins. "What did you mean when you said you knew it would be a perfect fit?"

"Well, Miss Prewett, the wand chooses the wizard. Certain wands favor certain qualities in the wizards they wish to wield them. That wand chose you for the qualities you possess, even ones you may not be fully aware of yet."

Illyria continued to examine the curious piece of wood, wondering what exactly it favored in her. "Thank you, Mr. Ollivander."

"It was my pleasure. Arthur, lovely seeing you, as always. And Miss Prewett, enjoy your first year at Hogwarts."

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**Second chapter is done! Don't get spoiled though. This will probably be rare for this story for now. Enjoy though! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!**


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